by Staci Talan, D.C.

Parents take their children to the doctor to have their ears, eyes, nose, teeth and every other imaginable part examined; however, many overlook one of the most important elements of a child's growing body - the spine. Before discussing the numerous childhood conditions that can be helped through adjustments, it is important to address chiropractic care and children. Many people do not realize chiropractors treat children and the reasoning behind it. A spinal checkup could be one of the most important examinations your child receives. Many parents still wonder why they should take their child to a chiropractor. Beginning at birth, a child may experience trauma or stress, even during the most normal of births. Normal childhood activities such as jumping, running, skipping and climbing can create spinal stress and, if not properly alleviated, may cause serious health conditions down the road.

Parents who bring their children into the chiropractor do so for many different conditions; infantile colic, ear infections, asthma, allergies, falls, headaches, bed-wetting, pains, stomach aches to name just a few. It is important to remember that chiropractors do not treat these conditions. We treat the subluxation, or the spinal/nerve stress, on the body.
In simplest terms, a subluxation (a.k.a. Vertebral Subluxation) is when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) moves out of position, putting pressure on, or irritating, the spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are the nerves that come out from between each of the bones in your spine. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes those nerves to malfunction and interfere with the signals traveling over those nerves.
The nervous system is the master control system of the body, coordinating all if its functions. Every organ, gland, muscle and cell in the body is enervated by a nerve. That is how the brain relays its messages to the body. If that nerve is being "pinched" by a bone the message is distorted and the body cannot get the true message the brain is sending it. This causes stress and ultimately can allow disease to step in. This complex is called the vertebral subluxation complex or more commonly referred to as a subluxation. This condition can be painless and is often referred to as "the silent killer" in the chiropractic community.

The goal of the chiropractor is to illuminate subluxation and nerve stress. This allows the nervous system to function at its highest level by allowing the message the brain sends to the heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles, stomach, etc. to be received uninterrupted. This allows the healing power of the body to be unleashed. The immune system can function more efficiently. The body resistance to disease increases. This is particularly important to the developing child that is able to respond and fight off internal, as well as external, environmental stresses more efficiently. 1

Many may question the safety of chiropractic adjustment for children. In the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (1998) a risk assessment of neurological and/or vertebrobasilar complications in pediatric chiropractic patients was conducted. The study found that in a period from 1966 to 1977 over half a billion adjustments were delivered to children with an injury rate of one in 250 million,2 (2) supporting the conclusion that safety is not an issue. I myself have my son, now three years old, examined on a regular basis. He has been checked since birth and is a healthy vibrant child. He has not experienced most of the childhood conditions previously touched on. The few he has encountered are quickly remedied with an adjustment, which clears out the body so that it can function at an optimal level and fight these conditions off. I invite you to make an appointment for a consultation and discover the benefits of chiropractic for children.

My column is designed for educational purposes only. The information in this and subsequent articles is not intended to replace the attention or advice of a physician and/or health care professional. Any person who wishes to pursue a course and/or prevent, treat and/or manage their or any other person's health concerns should always first consult a qualified health professional. None of the information or statements contained in this article is to be used in place of medical advice from a health care professional. Nothing in this article is meant to imply a person should take actions toward any medical or chiropractic treatment without the consent and/or supervision of his/her doctor and/or specialist.

Staci Talan, D.C., I.D.E. has an office located in Fremont. She is a graduate of Sacramento State University where she earned a B.A. in Psychology. She continued her education at Life Chiropractic College-West in Hayward where she earned a doctorate in Chiropractic. She is a Certified Industrial Disability Evaluator and is in the process of completing her provisionary status as a natural childbirth instructor of the Bradley Method. Talan is an active member of the California Chiropractic Association, Centerville Business Association, Irvington Business Association and Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

1 International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, March-April 2002 Newsletter
2 Pissolese, Richard D.C., Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 1998 (June); 2 (2): 73-81.�